each of the LOTR books took be about a year to read. i stayed up almost all night for a week or so before the movie came out, struggling to finish theeach of the LOTR books took be about a year to read. i stayed up almost all night for a week or so before the movie came out, struggling to finish the book before we saw the film....more

first book we read in my first class at Evergreen State College: Alternatives to Capitalist Globalization.

Incredible book. I found this (science fictifirst book we read in my first class at Evergreen State College: Alternatives to Capitalist Globalization.

Incredible book. I found this (science fiction) as important as any nonfiction book I've read on anarchism/alternatives to capitalism because it does a realistic job of imagining an alternative society, with its good features and its problems....more

in 11th grade my life changed. i went vegan, then got really preachy with it, then lost friends, missed my partner (long distance relationship), got din 11th grade my life changed. i went vegan, then got really preachy with it, then lost friends, missed my partner (long distance relationship), got depressed, then ignored everyone and read like 10 l'engle books in a row all day long in school and at home. l'engle is great for escaping. plus the themes in her Time series are beautiful and were part of shaping my philosophy and worldview at the time....more

This is a good short story based on a character who lived generations before The Dispossessed takes place. It's really cool because although it's a shThis is a good short story based on a character who lived generations before The Dispossessed takes place. It's really cool because although it's a short story, it has this connection to many layers of the story in The Dispossessed, so there's sort of an automatic connection to the character in "The Day Before the Revolution." It's good.

An interesting experiment would be for someone to read the short story before the book, rather than vice-versa....more

i read this for a class this year (for some reason I hadn't yet read it). i'm a slow reader, so i stayed up late the night before we were to discuss ii read this for a class this year (for some reason I hadn't yet read it). i'm a slow reader, so i stayed up late the night before we were to discuss it in class, and i woke up early the morning of. i was late to class because i had to finish reading it because i didn't want the end spoiled in class.

i finished it and couldn't stop crying. i didn't want to go to class, and really i didn't even want to live anymore. by the time i got to class my tears had dried and i regained my will to live.

Why did I put off reading this epic tale for so long? I was inspired to finally read it by a 7th grader I was teaching who started reading it. The SilWhy did I put off reading this epic tale for so long? I was inspired to finally read it by a 7th grader I was teaching who started reading it. The Silmarillion is amazing, like Tolkien's other works. It's really cool to learn about the creation of the world, and of Elves, humans, and other peoples and creatures. It was fulfilling, fun, and exciting to read this, and to add some more pieces to the Tolkien puzzle, but now I want to read more and more, find out everything I can about Middle Earth/Arda!

I call this type of story a study-story. While reading it, I was referencing maps, family trees, Elvish and English dictionaries, index of names, etc. I learned as I read. It was fun and engaging....more

This isn't published as a real 'book' yet, but is in zine format. It's a short story of anarchist fiction. It recently appeared in Tacoma and Olympia,This isn't published as a real 'book' yet, but is in zine format. It's a short story of anarchist fiction. It recently appeared in Tacoma and Olympia, WA.

Ever and Anon is amazing. It's pretty crazy and hard to describe what it's about. It has aspects similar to Ishmael and Derrick Jensen's books, in that it connects various issues and incidents in western culture over thousands of years, and helps the reader make important revelations about western society.

it's vaguely utopian, which is also a plus for me. it's not sci-fi or fantasy, although, it has some fantastical elements.

it's a great story, and it's mysterious how it appeared in Tacoma/Olympia, and hopefully it will circulate around the US....more

i read this in high school band when my instrument was "in the shop" AKA i didn't want to play anymore. so i read while the rest of the band was playii read this in high school band when my instrument was "in the shop" AKA i didn't want to play anymore. so i read while the rest of the band was playing. all the songs the band played became really epic and forever associated in my mind with certain scenes of the book. so i have my own soundtrack for the book. awesome way to read a book, by the way.

* Re-read The Hobbit in anticipation of the movies. Here I am, re-reading the book that started my Tolkien obsession, about 12 years later, and now delving further into the Tolkien world. It was cool to re-read this after reading the Silmarillion and understand the references to ancient history and lore... it made for a more complete reading. 9/2012 - 10/2012....more

The Wizard of Earthsea was a nice read. It wasn't as fantastic as I was expecting from a fantasy classic or based on Le Guin's other stories that I'veThe Wizard of Earthsea was a nice read. It wasn't as fantastic as I was expecting from a fantasy classic or based on Le Guin's other stories that I've read. Maybe the entire trilogy is awesome; we shall see another time.

But it was cool to read another Le Guin story after learning about Taoism and that Le Guin incorporates Taoist ideas, symbolism, imagery, etc into her works. I could see some of it in this book. And I liked the wizard/magic mythology, too. Le Guin approached it in a unique way, although it seems like she was partially influenced by Lord of the Rings (but who wouldn't be?). Many elements of this story bear resemblance to Harry Potter as well, so I'm thinking Harry Potter was heavily influenced by this story.

Woman of the Edge of Time is nuts. It's radical feminist sci-fi that's part future utopia, part powerful critique of current fucked-up society, part tWoman of the Edge of Time is nuts. It's radical feminist sci-fi that's part future utopia, part powerful critique of current fucked-up society, part tale of liberation.

The whole text is engaging, but for some reason it took me a while to read it. The protagonist is a poor Chicana woman in New York labelled insane.

I'm on a feminist & utopian fiction kick and this is a wonderful addition. It's an amazing book and I think it is---or should be---a feminist/radical/sci-fi classic. Much more so than The Female man, which I read before this one (and is apparently a feminist sci-fi classic). Marge Piercy is pretty awesome, and hopefully someday I'll get to read more of her work. I think I'll find out more about her on wikipedia now. And I want to get all my friends to read this...more

This atlas is an extensive collection of maps and other facts and information about Tolkien's world. I referenced this while reading The SilmarillionThis atlas is an extensive collection of maps and other facts and information about Tolkien's world. I referenced this while reading The Silmarillion to better follow along the characters' paths to and picture places, landscapes, etc. It helped my mind delve even further into this amazing world. It made reading all the more exciting.

I wish the maps were in full color (they're part color), but it's a great Atlas nonetheless. I recommend this to anyone reading Tolkien, especially nerds like myself to want to experience as much of Middle-Earth and Arda as possible.

i slowly got more and more into Jean Hegland's first novel, Into the Forst, until i read the second half in only a few sittings.wow. what a good book.

i slowly got more and more into Jean Hegland's first novel, Into the Forst, until i read the second half in only a few sittings. it took me about a week, which is quick for me.

the characters are easy to identify with, so by the time i was about 2/3 through the book, i experienced what the characters experienced. i went through the sorrow and joy and terror which they went through. the book has a great ending, which is a must for me.

the content idea is awesome and the way Hegland explores the idea is superb. the book made me question the way i live my life, and how i might live it in a different situation. it's fiction, but it inspires me to go out and do cool shit. important things, before it's too late!

this book came highly recommended to me, as my whole group of friends has been reading it, and i thought perhaps it got too hyped up and it wouldn't turn out as good as i hoped, but it did not let me down. it's worth the hype!...more

Clan of the Cave Bear is crazy. My friend recommended this to me (she's recommended other sweet fantasy/sci-fi books to me as well.

this takes place inClan of the Cave Bear is crazy. My friend recommended this to me (she's recommended other sweet fantasy/sci-fi books to me as well.

this takes place in prehistoric europe and is about an encounter between Neandertals and modern humans. it's very dramatic and drew me into the characters and the story. some parts of hard to read

it's kind of like Into the Forest in that I've learned, from detailed description, about living skills like hunting, making tools and implements from hides, bones, stones, collecting and preparing wild plant foods and medicinal herbs.

the book is well-researched and realistic, and with a great story. i've studied a little about human history, human ancestors, primates, etc so it was very intriguing for me and made me think a lot about my relation to nature and to our ancestors. I pondered how much of the details of the story is Auel's speculation, how much is based on research, and how much of the research its based-on is now outdated and proven inaccurate.

It's a very good book and part of a series of I think 5 books. I had stumbled across the 2nd book in the series at a bookstore the other day, so when I finished Clan of the Cave Bear it left so abruptly and ended in a cliffhanger (at 5am last night) that I had to skim the first couple pages of the next book to see if it leaves off where the 1st finishes.

I need to read some nonfiction because I haven't in a long time, so I'll have to be patient and endure the suspence before I begin the next one (The Valley of Horses).

The book is long (500 pages), and the first half, although it kept me interested from the first page, went slowly. The second half, however, I couldn't put down and read in a few days.

This is also one of those books that, like I mentioned, makes me think a lot, want to learn more, now i want to go to a park and try to make stone tools and practice with my sling. And learn herbal medicine. I'm also thinking it would be fun to go to grad school for archeology, cuz students make stone tools and make weapons and learn some ancient living skills.

Now I think I'll share this book with my former anthropology teachers.

It's apparently a feminist sci-fi classic, but i didn't get it. it used experimental narrative form, apparently, which is interested but i had a hardIt's apparently a feminist sci-fi classic, but i didn't get it. it used experimental narrative form, apparently, which is interested but i had a hard time following it. the form was interesting because it was something new to me... it seemed postmodern.

i would have liked more utopia and possibility-travel. but i did appreciate the parts that were honest rants about the fucked up patriarchy that is western society and the character's/author's experience as a woman living in said society.

the book got slightly easier and more exciting towards the end, but i still don't know what the book was all about, other than a reminder that sexism exists and someday it won't anymore. it was probably more powerful when it was written, in the 70s, when women in american society were more restricted than now, but certainly not that much has changed and the book's messages remain important. i guess what i can take away from it is that i need to keep fighting patriarchy, checking myself to see in what ways i may be sexist, and to continue building a world free of hierarchy and authority.

the story starts on May 3, which is when I just happened to start reading the book. freaky!

Ecotopia is apparently an environmental classic, written inthe story starts on May 3, which is when I just happened to start reading the book. freaky!

Ecotopia is apparently an environmental classic, written in 1975. You can tell by the name that it's about a utopian society based on ecological principles. It's about Cascadia (Washington, Oregon, and Northern California) becoming an independent country.

It's interesting. It's more realistic than other utopian novels I've read, in that the society and its conditions are more likely to become reality in the not-to-distant future. On the other hand, it doesn't fit my personal definition of utopia. Many of the conditions in Ecotopia are utopian, but I'm not sure if the idyllic conditions would come about under the societal structure. the structure is an interesting mix. i won't give too much away. suffice it to say it's like al gore's wet dream (wet dream only because he's not actually cool enough to have a regular dream of this calibre, but it's still a dream of al gore and not someone actually radical).

It was a fun, short, and easy read, which explored the utopian society is more depth and detail than some other utopian novels I've read, and it's nice because it's in many regards a realistic utopia. (the back even has praise from ralph nader, talking about how the conditions in the book are possible). the book has a good mix of details of the society and storyline.

i'm not to keen on the writing style, however. maybe it's written that way because of the narrator, or maybe the author (Ernest Callenbach) just isn't very good. There are little things that bug me, but overall they don't get in the way of the story.

something neat about the book is that i got it from the cool local bookstore in tacoma and it has an old price sticker from TCC, the community college I went to. so i wonder what class it was used for, and how old the sticker is.

anyway, Ecotopia is a nice read. it's not great, but i'd recommend it for something light....more

it's an admitted spin-off of Orwelli found this book at my local anarchist infoshop/community library (pitchpipe infoshop: myspace.com/pitchpipeinfo).

it's an admitted spin-off of Orwell's Animal Farm with an anarchist take. It has critiques like Orwell, but it also imagines an alternative.

it's pretty darn nutritional yeasty (aka cheesy for those non-vegans out there) and enjoyable. there are memorable characters, and funny animal counterparts of anarchist institutions and tactics like food not bombs, direct action, and consensus-based meetings.

it has a sweet ending and is the kind of cheesy utopia i like. it was a quick read because it was short, which also means i couldn't get super into the characters and the story wasn't that meaningful for me, but i see if as more of a light-hearted cutesty, quasi-inspirational, anarchist fable.

if you're looking for something light and silly, grab Anarchsit Farm (if you can find a copy). It's by a weird publisher that has a far-out anarchist fiction series about jesus vampires and stuff....more